Am I My Sister’s Keeper?

This past February, when President Obama announced his first initiative to address the historical and current effects of racism in the United States, many applauded the effort as a long overdue step in the right direction. However, the program, called My Brother’s Keeper, focuses only on boys and young men of color, ignoring one half of the population.

By focusing on the critical challenges, risk factors and opportunities for boys and young men of color at key life stages, we can improve their long-term outcomes and ability to contribute to the nation’s competitiveness, economic mobility and growth, and civil society. Unlocking their full potential will benefit not only them, but all Americans.

While the drive to benefit the lives of young men of color is wonderful, one wonders why women are again left out of the equation. The advancement of women of color is equally as important as the advancement of young men of color, and must be addressed. This is the main point of an informal coalition of 200 concerned Black men that has formed to forward the interests of their sisters of color. They have begun by writing an open letter to the President.

We always say that gender equality will only fully exist when that other 50 percent of the population—men—become feminists. And so, this moment, when these Black men are stepping up to be feminists and support women’s rights in a way that has never before been seen in the civil rights struggle, is groundbreaking.

Among these 200 Black men are actor/producer Danny Glover, filmmaker Byron Hurt, writer/professor at Vassar Kiese Laymon and 197 other Black men from all walks of life and professions. They share the concern that a mission that Black women will not be left out of the civil rights agenda as has happened in a multitude of social justice initiatives not just in the United States, but around the globe. Ms. sat down with Laymon, one of the key organizers of the coalition, to learn more.

Ms. Blog: For those who do not know, what is the President’s My Brother’s Keeper program?

Kiese Laymon: It’s a $200 million public-private venture and interagency initiative that aims “to improve measurably the expected educational and life outcomes for and address the persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color.”

Why is inclusion of Black girls in the My Brother’s Keeper necessary?

We can’t actually address what the nation’s structural deficiencies have done to Black communities by only addressing half of the people in those communities. Our hope is to persuade policy makers at the federal and state level, and philanthropic organizations, thought leaders and political figures, to direct their attention to the specific vulnerabilities of Black boys and Black girls.

How did the response of 200 concerned Black men come into being?

We’ve been working with a group of committed Black women on this project for a while. The letter is just a small part of the larger project to make sure gender equity is a part of our conceptions of racial justice.

Why do you think Black girls and women are historically ignored and Black men and boys given visibility?

That’s the question. I think it’s important to state here that even though the idea of the endangered Black boy is much more pervasive that the endangered Black girl, our belief is that most of these endangerment narratives leave out the critical role that state-sanctioned white supremacy and patriarchy have played in endangering Black boys. That’s really important to say first. We’re not simply saying give Black girls the kind of attention you’ve been giving Black boys, because that attention hasn’t led to concrete structural change and/or honest reckoning with white supremacy or patriarchy. We’re saying we all have to will ourselves to do whatever we can to address the structural deficiencies that have limited access to healthy choice and second chances for Black boys and Black girls. Black girls and women are ignored because sexism, gendered racism and heteropatriarchy are real. There’s no proof that the nation actually cares about Black girls and women. I think folks make the erroneous assumption that Black women will persist no matter what.

What would you like to see the Obama administration do to empower Black girls as a result of your movement of 200 concerned Black men?

First, we want the the administration to launch data collection on the multiple ways in which Black girls and women are marginalized and suffering. My Brother’s Keeper collects data only on Black boys and men. We also want an expansion of the initiative to include an explicit focus on the structural conditions negatively impacting Black girls and boys. We want the administration to explicitly name, address and redress through concrete policies the deleterious impact of racial bigotry and institutional racism within the U.S., given that it is a condition that negatively impacts the life outcomes of Black youth. We want the administration to end the targeted, Moynihan-esque attention given to “absent fathers” as the primary factor that is destroying Black families, because it implies that present husbands and sons are the solution to the problem of structural conditions in the United States, while erasing the roles of Black women in the lives of Black children. Within our K-12 schools, there is a need for curriculum and other pedagogical tools that specifically address the ways that sexism, patriarchy, heterosexism, white supremacy and rape culture negatively shape the lives of Black children.

How has the administration responded?

They’ve asked to meet with us.

As an American citizen, how can I help?

We urge all concerned folk to first talk with members of their community about the importance of gender equity in racial justice projects. While our letter has gotten the most attention, most of us are doing the work of broadening awareness about gendered racial justice in our own communities. There are mostly groups of women doing this work all across the country. Find those women and ask them how you can be of help. Make sure your local school boards are collecting data on the structural deficiencies impacting the lives of Black girls and boys.

Hope Wabuke runs a communications company called The WriteSmiths and is director of media & communications for the Kimbilio Center for African American Fiction. She is currently at work on a poetry collection about her family’s escape from Idi Amin’s Ugandan genocide. She blogs at hope after yoga and you can follow her on Twitter@HopeWabuke.

Comments

While I understand the premise that women of color experience racial deficiencies as well, the fact is, one of the best things that society can do for the Black woman is to support the development of strong, stable, employed Black men.

The Black woman has been the support for the Black family structure with little to no support from the Black man, and it hasn’t worked out too well for our overall community. I don’t think that it is a matter of ignoring the Black woman as it is a recognition of the fact that the Black man is the most vulnerable societal demographic. Black women now out-earn Black men. Black women are more employable than Black men. Black women earn more college degrees than Black men.

The reality is dealing with the challenges faced by the Black community will require restoring the Black man to the equation. And that requires dealing with the structural issues that are unique to the Black male experience.

I think the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative should be looked at as a step in the right direction for the overall empowerment of our communities, but not as an exercise in exclusion.

I agree that the MBK initiative is a STEP in the right direction, but the issues that cause so many black boys and men to be at risk also involve black girls and women. I totally disagree that “one of the best things that society can do for the Black woman is to support the development of strong, stable, employed Black men.” Therein lies the attitudes of patriarchy that place more importance on the needs of males. That patriarchy is part and parcel of the larger, white society, and is reflected in black communities as well. It also seems to support the assumption that if only men are stable, women will be as well. While black women earn more degrees and are more likely to be employed than black men, we also earn less for the same jobs than black men, white women, or white men. Ignoring the needs of black women, especially those who don’t have access to higher education or gainful employment, will only help to produce more boys at risk. Black folks are not monolithic in outlooks, incomes, or education, so those particularly at risk need the most help, whether they are boys or girls. In fact, that attitude that black men’s needs should come first is already alienating a significant number of black women. Except for Native American women, black women are most likely to be killed in domestic violence incidents. 40% of American girls caught up in sex trafficking in this country are black, and the number of black girls and women caught up in the prison system is growing. Then, there are the misogynistic lyrics of hip-hop/rap that specifically degrade black women. We also have to contend with the sexual predation of young girls by older men in our communities, and how they too often do not get support from either black men or black women in our communities in the form of holding the predators accountable. Those 245 black men had it right, because they know full well that if the problems that black boys and black girls are not faced simultaneously, the benefit of programs like MBK will be either blunted or completely negated because there will be problems that remain unaddressed as a result.